'Great' new program won't solve vet shortage

Friday, April 23, 2010

by BRIAN LOCKHART

A project to help veterinary students get hands-on experience with livestock that has netted provincial funding will benefit farmers but won’t reverse the trend of fewer veterinarians practicing in rural areas says Paul Stiles, assistant manager of the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association.

“It’s a complex issue,” Stiles says of the regional shortage of large animal veterinarians, adding the association is pleased the provincial government is investing in “future bovine practitioners.”

The province has contributed $25,000 in start up funding for the Bovine Education Trust — a charitable endowment fund launched this month by the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College and the Ontario Association of Bovine Practitioners. The funding came from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ veterinary clinical education program.

A news release from the university says the program is designed to “develop the next generation of bovine practitioners” by providing them with opportunities such as summer placements in rural veterinary practices.

For areas that have veterinarians that are about to retire, Stiles says it’s “a great program.”

But the reality is in many rural areas a large animal practice just isn’t economically feasible for many veterinarians because of the distance between farms and lack of potential customers in a region. There are not enough livestock farms in some areas to “support a clinic with two or more vets,” and that would leave a single practitioner “working 24-seven,” he says.

There has been a marked decline over the past eight years in veterinarians specializing in large animal practice with many turning to small animal and companion animal services. Stiles attributes the trend to “money and the lifestyle.”

Dairy farmer John den Haan says he’s concerned about the availability of veterinarians specializing in dairy cattle.

“We have a couple of very good vets in our area,” den Haan says, “But they are getting older and when they retire it may be a problem.”

Den Haan runs a 50-head dairy operation in Loretto, Ontario just west of Alliston.

The veterinarians that come to his farm service a large area “from an hour away” on all sides of their home base in Guelph.

He appreciates the efforts of the program. Practical experience should be emphasized as an important part of veterinary training, he says. “Experience is a great teacher.”

The Dairy Farmers of Ontario view the announcement as a positive incentive for students and the industry.

“I believe it is a step in the right direction to generate interest and support amongst student veterinarians for a possible career as a rural veterinarian,” says Wes Lane, director of communications and planning. “The livestock industry needs veterinarians in all parts of rural Ontario.” BF